The Watery Depths
by eliatropesonmobius
Summary: Book two of Atlantis Found. Please check that out to understand where we are. After going through a stressful ordeal and regaining her memories, Atlantis is ready to return to the real world! But is it ready for her? Read and find out!
1. Chapter 1

**If you're reading this before reading my other Hetalia story, "Atlantis Found", you are about to be very, very lost, my friend.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

Chapter 1:

 _The burning races along, destroying everything in its path. The bundle in her arms breathes shakily, the heat burning the very oxygen from the air it tries to breathe. She cannot breathe either, which is disorienting. To not breathe and yet remain awake. But her arms burn, wounds almost as bright as the flames that have caused them. The little bundle's breathing stops and she tries to cry, but her tears dry too quickly, and-_

* * *

Atlantis sits up with a gasp, hand gripped tight in her sheets and arms tingling. Sweat drips down her back and her chest heaves from the nightmare, no, the memory, she just woke up from.

It has been several weeks since she was rescued and regained her memories, but the nightmares haven't stopped. At least this time she didn't scream and wake up Texas. He'd almost shot her when he busted in.

Atlantis shakes her head and reaches over to grab her phone, checking the clock. It's one am, so the person she's about to call should already be up, if he didn't have another late night. Her phone rings and a cheery voice answers when someone picks it up.

"Atlantis! How are you?"

"Hi, Finny." She shakes so much she can hear it in her own voice. Finland hesitates before he says anything.

"Another nightmare? According to Sweden, it's really early in America right now."

"Yeah." She sighs and slips her feet until they're dangling over the wooden floor. "And two days before my birthday too, sadly enough."

"Wait, how do you know when your birthday is?"

"I picked a random day and told anyone who didn't like it to-"

"Hi, Auntie Atlantis!" Sealand's voice comes over the phone and Atlantis cuts off what she was about to say quickly.

"Hey, kiddo. How are you?"

"Good. Is it really going to be your birthday soon?"

"Didn't I just say it was? Are your parents going to bring you to the world meeting tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but I had to promise to be nice to England, even though he's a jerk."

"Don't worry, I'll help you make him behave." Sealand giggles and Atlantis yawns, covering the receiver so it isn't too loud. "Listen, short stuff, I'm going to go back to bed. But maybe after the meeting tomorrow, I'll grab you and we can go get ice cream."

"Yeah!" Atlantis hears Sweden groan in the background and smiles. "Bye, Atlantis!"

"Sea you later." She hangs up the phone and slips fully out of bed, heading downstairs to get a glass of water. Halfway down the hall, however, she bumps into America. This would be surprising if not for the fact they lived in the same house.

"You never told me you chose a date for your birthday." He pouts and she rolls her eyes before they both start walking to the kitchen.

"I didn't feel like it. Anyway, it's not as if it's all that important anyway. I figured I'd go to the library, maybe grab a soda, and just read until it was time to start another day."

"How old are you?" America asks and Atlantis rolls her eyes.

"I don't even know anymore. I stopped counting after the first thousand years. But isn't it considered rude here to ask a woman's age?" America seems to freeze and she can practically read his thoughts.

"CRAAAAAAAAAAAAP." He groans and buries his face in his hands. "It's official, I have no tact whatsoever." Atlantis pats his shoulder as they finally arrive in the kitchen.

"It's okay. It took two rulers and a very scary tutor, who kind of reminds me of Germany in retrospect, to educate me in social skills enough that I could advise the current ruler in court. I had a bad habit of trying to banish people who ticked me off. It only worked about half the time anyway."

"Half the time is still a fairly scary amount."

"Well, I was the personification of their home. It's not like they could constantly deny me...Though to be fair, they did try."

"What do you miss the most?" Atlantis isn't expecting that question, which shows when she swivels her head to pierce America with a questioning gaze.

"What?" Though on the inside, America's squirming to get away from that stare, on the outside, he calmly takes a sip of his drink.

"You heard me. We're all centuries old. We've got steel traps for memories. What do you miss the most about your home, Atlantis?"

"I..." She pauses and glances at the soda can in her hand. "I miss... the people. I miss my kings, my queens. I miss the little beggar boy who I'd have lunch with until he became too old to even eat food properly. I miss the little princess whose hands I kissed as her father watched a volcano cause my destruction. I miss the nameless child who I held in my arms as he died and lava petrified me for God knows how long. It hurts, America. Why are people like us born? Why does it matter that our countries are personified?" She doesn't know what makes her yell, whether it be her frustration at the world or the desire to go through the proper stages of grief. But at the end of her rant, she lowers her hands which she had raised at some point and sits on a stool. "I miss the sun reflected on the ocean as the dancers practiced on the beach outside the castle. I miss the festivals that gypsies would spend months preparing for ahead of time. But those things are gone now." Opening her soda, she takes a long sip before smiling halfheartedly at America. "And in the end, we must all learn to move on or be forever broken."

"You miss your philosophers and poets, from the sound of it." America points out and she reaches over to smack him on the back of the head.

"It's not like yours were much better. At least mine is free of Roman influence. Seriously, that guy's affected everything!" They both laugh at that and proceed to stay up the whole night, talking and laughing away while the others snore on.

* * *

 **I'M BAAACK! Did you miss me, you beautiful people? Sorry it took so long, school thought it'd be fun to stick a straw in my chest and suck out my soul. Anyway, I went back to re-read my first Hetalia story and saw a part I missed, that said I'd be bringing Atlantis in to answer questions and compliments...Whoops? But better now than never!**

 **Atlantis- "Hey, guys. Sorry for EOM's forgetfulness. I've been rattling around in her brain forever. Anywho, if you want to ask me something, go right ahead! Maybe I'll be a good tool to stop EOM from prattling on!"**

 **Hahaha, isn't she a sweetheart? *Shoves her in a closet.* There, that's better. So don't forget the three R's: Read this chapter, Review, and Repeat with the next chapter!**

 **Signing off, as always,**

 **EOM**


	2. Chapter 2

**Atlantis: "We're baaack! Just...Play some creepy music in the background and pretend you're watching The Shining. Anyway, I'm alive! EOM's been busy with school. So...Sorry?"**

 **Yeah, listen to an immortal empire/ Awesome person! Sorry, guys. Been working on a ton of other stuff, and dealing with school and home life alike. Thanks for being patient.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. But I do own my character, Atlantis!**

* * *

Chapter 2:

"If you're going to be going to one of Papa's silly meetings, you need to look your best, cherie!" Louisiana barges into Atlantis' room the next morning, finding Atlantis wielding a book as a weapon from the shock of the door opening suddenly. "Sorry, 'Lantis."

"It's fine, Jeanette." The girl's sleek black hair is pinned back as she lugs in several outfits and lays them on the older woman's bed. As she does so, Jeanette also takes a moment to assess the woman.

Dark bags under her eyes have been carefully covered with makeup, but her hands tremble slightly and twitch to her burn marks, itching them as part of the habit she'd developed ever since they appeared. Atlantis' hair is curly but long, pulled into a frizzy ponytail that trails halfway down her back and can be used as a rather short whip when she turns corners too fast, as Alaska found out when they went sliding down one of the main hallways in socks and turned a corner. A guitar lies in the corner, well cared for and played rather recently, seeing as a few picks lie scattered about its case.

"Are you done staring like I'm a lost empire? Oh wait!" Atlantis laughs quietly at her own joke and begins examining the outfits Louisiana has assembled. Finally, she settles on a long-sleeved black trench coat over a white button-up shirt, blue jeans, and black boots with no heel. When she's dressed, the two women head downstairs, pausing by New York's room so Atlantis can filch a fedora.

America waits at the front door, dressed in a suit, which is shocking enough as it is. He smiles when he sees the two and Atlantis turns to hug Louisiana goodbye.

"Tell Spain I said hello."

"Of course, Louisiana." The smile on Atlantis' face is real but tired, the woman yawning as she walks out the door with America. When the door closes behind them, Louisiana remains on the stairs for a few moments more before sighing deeply and heading back up again.

* * *

"Your children worry too much." Atlantis mentions casually as the driver takes them to the Capitol, where the meeting is being held.

"We all worry. That's a natural response when family is involved." America responds, glancing at his watch and praying to some higher power that they would be on time for once. "So were you striving for the gangster look? Because if we were in New York City, the mafia might think they had some competition."

"I go for comfy clothes." The empire, though she is older, responds like a petulant child. "This just happened to be the comfiest thing available to me when your daughter barged into my room and fairly assaulted me with clothing."

"Excuses, excuses." America waves a hand dismissively and flashes his award-winning smile at her, teeth fairly glinting in the autumn sunlight. "You can nap on the way to the Capitol if you want to, Atlantis. You look tired." Atlantis sighs and wrings her hands together, fingers twitching towards her scars, though she makes a conscious effort to stop them halfway.

"No, America, I'm fine. I won't sleep. I...Can't sleep. Not yet."

"Listen, whatever's on your mind, you can't punish yourself for it. What happened to you wasn't your fault. I guess nature decided it was just... Your time.."

"My people didn't deserve what happened to them." The woman murmurs quietly, her unidentifiable accent making the sigh that follows those words sound musical. "I didn't deserve to lose them all." Her face screws up in sadness before it is quickly schooled back into a neutral expression. "That makes me sound selfish, I know..."

"No." Atlantis' sea green eyes meet America's sky blue ones, vaguely startled at how firm the young nation sounds. "We all have citizens we regret dying, but you're the only empire I know who's had all their citizens die at once. Granted, England got pretty close with the bubonic plague, but what can you do?" He shrugs and Atlantis would be tempted to roll her eyes if she didn't have a vague feeling that she was witnessing an important moment between the two of them. "You're not selfish for missing your citizens. No one blames you for what happened. I know none of the other modern nations do, at any rate." Atlantis thinks on what America has said for a few seconds before she takes off her coat, folds it up and lays across her seat. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"That nap sounds like a good idea right now." Then she promptly gets some well-deserved rest.

* * *

She manages to sleep for about half an hour, which is more than she has in a while, so she feels like she can function like an actual human being by the time America's Mercedes pulls up to the Capitol building. The two climb out of the posh vehicle and begin marching up the pavement to the steps of the Capitol as the car drives away behind them.

"I'm glad you were able to get some sleep." America smiles warmly and Atlantis does the same before reaching behind her head and braiding her hair swiftly and deftly, never pausing in her walking.

"As am I. Maybe I'll actually be able to contribute something to the meeting now."

"Don't think like that." America scolds, even as they arrive at the door to the meeting room. He swings it open and the two walk in to take their seats just as the meeting begins.

"Alright, we're here to talk about the issue between England and France... Again." Germany sighs at the head podium and bangs a gavel lightly. "Let's bring the meeting to order."

"What's going on between France and England?" Atlantis asks, leaning over to Canada, since she sits between the two North American countries.

"Papa and England are having what we call a 'spat' and are threatening to embargo each other. Their leaders won't really let it happen, but it's getting slightly heated." Atlantis sighs, bringing a hand up and asking for permission to speak. Germany, looking vaguely surprised, nods as Atlantis sets her fedora down and sweeps up to the podium, inhaling deeply before stepping back down and heading to where the two aforementioned nations are arguing quietly. She seizes one of each's earlobes and drags them to their feet, pulling them to the front of the room an letting off a dark aura that could rival Russia's. When they get to the front, she releases them and crosses her arms as the two shrink back.

"You two are bloody idiots." She hisses, baring her teeth. "Embargoing each other over a childish fight? If I had tried that with the Roman Empire, I would've been laughed at. Instead, I fear to think this group of supposedly world superpowers is even bothering to dedicate an entire meeting to cater to your whims! Apologize to each other." When the two nations begin to protest, her aura darkens even more and silences them with twin squeaks of fear. "Now." Hesitantly, the two apologize to each other and scuttle back to their seats as Atlantis' dark aura rapidly vanishes and her smile becomes sarcastically bright before she returns to her seat between America and Canada. "You may continue with your meeting, Germany."

"R-right." The blond man clears his throat before moving on to the next item of the agenda while everyone else eyes the female nation with looks of either begrudging respect or pure fear. But she is, of course, used to this. Empires weren't conquerors for nothing, after all.

* * *

 _Back and kicking butt, that's Atlantis. Sorry this took so long to get out, but we're ready to answer some reviews! Atlantis, take it away!_

 _A: "Gladly. Guest Awesome is our only reviewer, but we're glad you're back, buddy! We're hoping you like where this goes, even though this chapter was just filler. And we're done with reviews! EOM?"_

 _Yep, that's it. Let's do the outro, and go on our merry way:_

 _Don't forget to do the three R's: Reading this chapter, reviewing, and repeating with the next chapter._

 _Signing off, as always,_

 _EOM_


End file.
